Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Tale Of Two Cities

Early am wakeup in France and wearily pull out of town. Benji joins us to bid farewell to Clifton and family. Farewell friends. See you on the other side.

The road through Paris is long. Bastille day looms and traffic keeps us simmering in July car heat. Paris is an impossible city to drive through and/or around. The only direct route...using the term direct sparingly, is a 2 lane highway jammed with metropolitan traffic. Its a trying scenario sans any sight from the city of light in view. Miles of commerce, grafitti, and other horrible cars.

Eventually make our way back into Germany. We are 7 hours into this journey. If it hasnt been mentioned yet, there is no stretch of Autobahn which is not under construction. Traffic piles accordingly. The GPS still reading at least 4 hours left. Rain. Sideways rain. Sheets of rain.Unrelenting then a break...somehow, and its not that difficult of a mistake to make, we had searched the wrong Muenster...There are two. One has an umlaut, one does not. We are pushing on towards the Muenster mit umlaut. We are 50 kilometers from our destination as a result. Its a break which suddenly breathes life back into the sails of this 9 hour hike.

Hello old friends, hello new friends. Thank you and goodnight.

Late night imbiss. Some drink in the park with our wonderful hosts. Hedgehogs, weasels, rabbits and then surly drunken German intent on a fight. Polizei step in and we are back in the room.

Morning to reconnect with our gear which was left in the club night before. Theres a lock, we dont have the key. Minute of panic then east coast sensibility enters to pop said lock and recover our belongings. Pack up. Out of town...onto the next.